Chocolate for Inspiration

Happy Chinese New Year!

2012-01-23T00:00:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year! It's another new year in the Chinese calendar. I'm so used to celebrating it while we were in Asia for the last 10 years that it feels weird to know I have school this week! Bummer, right?

I'm super excited about this year because it's the YEAR OF THE DRAGON! Oh yeah. And I think it's going to be a good one.

Chinese legends tell the tale of how during the eve of the new year a mythical beast named Nian would feast and plunder on the village's livestock, crops and even villagers.

So the villagers started putting food outside their doors to keep the monster at bay. Then one year, a villager noticed that Nian was afraid of a child wearing red. So they strung red lanterns across their villages and hung red scrolls in their windows. They even lit fireworks to scare him off, too.

Today, the Chinese prepare feasts, shoot of fireworks, have parades and hand out gifts. It's a beautiful, festive holiday.

In Korea, the day is called Seollal. Koreans call this day the Lunar New Year and it's celebrated in a three day holiday. Visiting family during this holiday is very important.

This why when we lived in Seoul, we'd NEVER travel. The traffic to leave the city was horrendous. If you were to travel, you'd need to leave before dawn.

Here's a video I took of a dragon parade in downtown Seoul:

I always loved visiting the museums and shops during Lunar because everyone else was gone and we wouldn't have to fight the traffic or the lines. We'd practically have the place to ourselves.

And ohhhh the rice cakes they make at this time of the year. So soft and savory. Yum.

Happy New Year!

Thanks to Real Image for the lovely pictures.

Break Free and Dream

2012-01-18T20:59:00.002-05:00

We all have dreams, secretly stowed away, waiting to be fulfilled.

When I was little, I dreamed of being a singer, dancer, or even a writer.

Yep. That was me twirling around the house in tutus, singing at the top of my lungs. Or hidden in some cramped corner writing silly poems about dolls and mapping out imaginary worlds.

Then one day I realized a couple of things:
1. I didn't want to leave my family and go to ballet boarding school in New York (yes, I very nearly did).
2. I could sing (for my family).
3. And I could write (crap that is).

So I gave it all up. All of it, and I did different stuff. Like piano and rock climbing. But deep in my heart of hearts, I still loved to dance, secretly sang in the shower and daydreamed up imaginary worlds.

One of those dreams came true for me a while back when I took the plunge and auditioned for characters at Disney World. I ended up dancing in their castle show for a number of years before moving overseas. It was an amazing experience, but I would never have done it if I'd allowed myself to believe I wasn't good enough.

And then after that was over, I started thinking about that other dream I had. Writing. I sucked at it. Big time. But the love and passion were still there, deep inside me, aching to come out.

So I took the plunge and started writing again. It was hard and it still is. But I'm ready to learn. I'm ready to take on new challenges.

There's something to remember about dreams:
1. You must be willing to do what it takes.
2. If you want MORE, you have to get up and MOVE.
3. Don't stay stuck in your old patterns.
4. Write those dreams down, stick them on the walls, remind yourself why.

What must you change to make those dreams reality? Make your list. I've made mine. And I'm chasing them.

Tonight, wish upon your star.

Have You Ridden Any Coasters Lately?

2012-01-17T20:30:00.000-05:00

I wrote a post a while back called Writing is Like Kimchi. But this past week, it feels more like a roller coaster! Check out this post I wrote over at the MiGs.

Multiple Points of View

2012-01-09T20:28:00.001-05:00

I really enjoy reading books with multiple points of view. Recent reads have been the ACROSS THE UNIVERSE books, BLOOD MAGIC and CROSSED. In looking at books with multiple points of view, it's important to get into the character's head.

A book I thoroughly enjoyed, as did my students, was ONCE UPON A MOTORCYCLE DUDE by Kevin O'Malley. The fairytale was written by his two characters, one a girl and one a boy. What made this book so special was the illustrations because they match well with the text.

For instance, the girl starts telling the story:
"Once upon a time in a castle... there lived a beautiful princess named Princess Tenderheart."

The illustrations done by Carol Heyer match the text perfectly with soft pastel colors, flowers and ponies.

Then the book takes a full 180 degree switch when the boy takes over the story:
"One day this really cool muscle dude rides up to the castle on his motorcycle."

And the illustrations are full of dark colors: blacks, reds and silvers. In fact, Heyer doesn't illustrate these but it's an entirely different illustrator, Scott Goto. There are words like volcanoes, thunder, lightning, battles, and giants.

I loved how distinctly different the characters were and their point of views. It made the story hilarious (sure it was a little stereotypical) but I couldn't help but think, this is the perfect example of a book that shows point of view switches!

Some great links for writing different POV's are:

Kristi Cook's Point-of-View in Young Adult
Tara Harper's Multiple Points of View
Understand the Effects of Your Point of View
Three Tips for Multiple Points of View

Ultimately, it's important each character has their own distinct voice. If you were to open the book and randomly pick out a page, would you be able to identify who's telling the story at that point by the voice?

How about you? Have you written or read a great book with multiple points of views?

Twizzlers Sent Me Inspiration!

2012-01-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

The other day on Twitter I mentioned that I'd sent hubby out to get me a pack of chocolate and Twizzlers to help me with my revisions. I asked Twitter if he was being sweet or escaping. Twizzlers voted SWEET and sent me this really cool Twizzlers pen!

I love it! Thank you Twizzlers for sending me some inspiration.

You can follow them on Twitter too. Click here.

(Oh and ignore my messy desk.)

Winners of 9 Book Giveaway!!!!

2012-01-02T14:30:00.000-05:00

Oh how I love giveaways. They are just soooo much fun. Thank you to everyone who entered! And now I get to announce the lucky ones.

Middle Grade Fantasy Pack: Kaya H

Middle Grade Girl's Pack: Still open for giveaway. The first person to comment saying they want it, gets it!!!!!!

MATCHED: Madison

I AM NUMBER FOUR: Llehn

UNTRACEABLE: Zoe Z

Please email me your mailing address at christinal dot farley at gmail dot com to get your book(s)!

Picture from Absolute Necessities.

Word of the Year

2011-12-31T11:25:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year guys! I can't believe it is already another year. I don't know about you, but I'm so excited about 2012.

Most of you know me pretty well and that I'm very goal driven. It's a great thing if I want to get a job done, but it can borderline on being a bit obsessive. Like writing a particular number of words a day or reading a book a day or jogging so many miles.

In the past I've made up my goals and they have helped me keep focused on what I want for myself and my career. For instance, if you check out this post, it had my goals for last year.

I am happy to report I accomplished everything on my list! I even snagged an amazing agent too! Actually, he's beyond amazing and I'm so lucky to have him representing me.

Thinking about this upcoming year, I'm going to go a different route. I'm focusing my goals on a specific word and then revolve all my goals around that word.

So my word for this year is STRENGTHEN. How will I strengthen myself as a writer?

1. Read- focusing on diversifying my reading choices and going beyond my standby favorites
2. Attend conferences- building my craft and networking
3. Finish revising my current WIP and transforming it into a book that's even better than anything I've ever written yet.
4. Write another book (grin)- but for this one I'd like to try a genre that I haven't written in yet. I'm excited about this one too!

I want to challenge you to make up your goals as well. But as you make the list, remember to make sure that these goals are within YOUR control. I have my secret wish list too (sorry, not sharing that one!), but those are wishes that I have no control over and for goals, I believe that they need to be attainable by you.

So, if you were to choose a word for your year, what would it be?

Pictures from Skinny Bodybuilding.

A Floridian Christmas

2011-12-25T10:30:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas from sunny Florida! We've been spending the last week swimming, playing in the sand, orange picking, riding bikes and playing soccer in the yard. And of course, we went to Disney World! It's the perfect weather to be outside having fun. Snow is nice, but there's nothing quite like a Floridian Christmas.

This holiday will be the first in over 10 years that we won't be traveling. I have to admit that I'm kind of excited to be hanging out with family, reading my stacks of books (yes, STACKS!) and getting lots of good writing in too.

How about you? What are your holiday plans?

Don't forget to enter my 9 Book Giveaway! My gift to you all. There's still time until the New Year.

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday filled with fun, rest and peace.

Congratulations to Carmella Van Vleet!

2011-12-13T19:28:00.000-05:00

Carmella Van Vleet, one of my writing partners over at The MiGs, just signed with Marie Lamba of the Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency! Check out her post on The MiGs where she talks about THE CALL and wish her a congratulations!

Yahoo!

9 Book Giveaway!

2011-12-12T20:34:00.000-05:00

This contest is for all of my followers as a thank you for being so supportive and just plain awesome this year.

Here's what I'm giving away:

Middle Grade Fantasy pack: THE CURSE OF THE DEADMAN'S FOREST, MUSEUM OF THIEVES, AND THE IMMORTALS.

Middle Grade Girl's pack: THE KIND OF FRIENDS WE USED TO BE, BEEZUS AND ROMANA, LUCY AND THE GREEN MAN

Young Adult books (each for individual winners):

I AM NUMBER FOUR by Picctus Lore

MATCHED by Ally Condie

UNTRACEABLE by Shelli Johannas

Yes, that's 9 books in total! Remember that this contest is open to followers only. Fill in the form below with your name and the book or book pack you want to win. One extra point will be given if you tweet or blog about the contest!

Deadline: Dec 31st

Winners of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE Contest Announced

2011-12-11T12:55:00.003-05:00

First of all, thank you to everyone who entered the contest for ACROSS THE UNIVERSE! What fun.

And now for the winners. I used random.org to choose the three lucky winners.

They are.....

The 2 paperbacks of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE go to:

Tricia-wa and Chrystal

The preorder of A MILLION SUNS goes to:

EM Alexander

Congratulations guys!

Email me your address at farley dot christinal at gmail dot com

And for all of you who didn't win, don't worry. Because tomorrow I'm announcing another big giveaway with lots and lots of books to celebrate finishing my first draft of my current project.

My Four Stages of Revision

2011-12-09T06:05:00.000-05:00

The other day someone asked me how many times I revise my novels. I had to laugh because I tend to lose track around draft 8.

Then she went on to ask me what my revision process involved. Now for that, I have four distinct stages I take my novels through. Each of those stages takes time and I might have to repeat all 4 stages after my critique partners review the project.

Basically, the four stages are:

1. First draft (where I just write the story down)- This is the stage I just finished. And believe me, the novel is a complete disaster. I liken it to a tsunami. I suppose it's because I'm the kind of writer who needs to lay it all down and then sift through the rubble. And I like to write this draft as fast as possible while I'm in my character's head.

2. Plot development draft- This is where I work the kinks out of the plot and weave the disjointed events so my readers get their "ah ha" moments. I think of this stage as a giant puzzle.

3. Character development draft- In this draft I focus on fine tuning my characters. This is where I bring them to life and hone out their internal and external conflicts.

4. World building and making all those words look pretty draft- I'm a sucker for pretty language. Not too much that it distracts from the story, but enough that it captures the mood and atmosphere of the world I'm building. This is the draft where I have to focus on details.

5. Grammar and spelling (groan)- yep, I hate spelling. I know I'm a teacher and I've got spell check but I still hate it.

But the most important part of all is... the chocolate. That's the key to everything. *smile*

How about you? What part of the revision process do you really focus on?

First Draft is FINISHED!!!!!

2011-12-04T14:58:00.000-05:00

I did it! I finished the first draft of my current project. Thank you very much NaNo!

I'm so so so relieved. If you were to ask me last July if I would even have written this book, I would have told you NO WAY. It's beyond me. Too hard to write. Too different than what I've written before.

But then one of my crit partners said a very interesting thing after I told her my reasons. She said, "Then you need to write it."

So I did.

Wow. Now, I don't know if it will sell. I don't even know if my agent is going to like it! But that doesn't matter right now. Because I wrote a book that I needed to write and I was able to grow as a writer.

As a teacher, I'm continually pushing my students to step out of their comfort zones saying things like, "You can write five sentences, okay, let's make it 8." Or I might say, "You can write 8 sentences, let's spice it up with adjectives."

I pushed hard this past month using NaNo as my excuse. I wrote 35,000 words in November which was probably one of my busiest months ever (like as in my-entire-life ever). It made me realize how important time management was and how critical goal setting can be.

But it doesn't stop there. I still have a long ways to go before I'm ready to send it off.

I opened the document today after giving myself a couple of days 'off' and groaned. The first chapter sucks. The last chapter is horrendous. My only consolation is the middle is pretty intense and at least I'm feeling good about that.

I've made a plan of action (yes, I'm a sucker for deadlines- I know, I'm weird) and I feel empowered now. I'll blog more on that later this week.

And YES! As promised, I'll be giving away BOOKS to celebrate. More on those details later in the week too.

So for those of you who did NaNo, how did your progress go? And if you didn't, what do you do to motivate yourself?

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE Giveaway!

2011-11-29T06:38:00.001-05:00

Today I want to celebrate the paperback release of Beth Revis' ACROSS THE UNIVERSE! I've known Beth for a long time now and not only is she a fantastic writer who isn't afraid to delve into deep issues, but she's been a great friend to me over the years. She was such a support to me when I moved from Korea to the States and dealing with the adjustments. Beth truly is a beautiful person. It's evident in how she treats people and the heart she has for her readers. I can only say wonderful things about her.
If you haven't heard about her awesome science fiction set in space, here's a little blurb:

A murder mystery in space…

Romance set in the future…

Dystopian with a fresh twist…

Thought provoking and introspective…

Action-packed page turner…

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, written by Beth Revis, takes the reader on an adventure set in a spaceship bound for a new planet. Seventeen year-old Amy, frozen with her parents to be part of the group to land on this new planet, wakes up 50 years too early. And it’s not a computer glitch. It was done on purpose. As Amy deals with the culture shock of being on a spaceship with very different rules, she also is on the hunt to discover who is unplugging—and killing—the frozens. Because her parents might be next.

I know. It's full of awesomeness. And I'm giving away two paperback copies! But that's not all. Because January 10, 2012, the sequel, A MILLION SUNS, will be released. So I will be giving away a preordered hardcopy too! And I think it's even better than ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. Ohhhhh!!!!!

Comment below to enter. You can get 1 extra point if you recommend the book to your local librarian, 1 extra point if you tweet the contest, and 1 extra point if you blog about the contest.

The three winners will be announced on Dec. 11th!
Good luck!

So Thankful for My Crit Partners

2011-11-25T15:01:00.000-05:00

I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. But this year I am thankful for my writing partners.

The longer I write and the longer these girls have been a part of my life, the more I appreciate them. They have been with me through hard times in my writing career when I wanted to give up, to the successes along the way and have been there celebrating with me. They have pushed me (and still are!) to be a better writer. To think about where I've come from to now, I can only see my writing continue to grow.

And it's because of them.

I don't think they really know how much they mean to me, but I hope they can see a glimpse of the truth in my heart of hearts when I say:

I HEART YOU GUYS!

Two Cool Chicks- Beth Revis and Casey McCormick

My Face-to-Face Group- Larissa Hardesty and Jessica Souders

The MiGs - Andrea Mack, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Carmella Van Vleet, Susan Laidlaw, Kate Fall

Making Progress

2011-11-20T13:06:00.000-05:00

Hey guys! *waving* Yes! I'm still alive. I know some of you have been worried about me. :-) This has been my most busiest month (EVER!) as I predicted and I can't even believe I was crazy enough to sign up for NANO.

BUT I'm so excited. I've been writing. A lot. Every morning dragging myself out of bed, gulping down coffee, and writing 1ks before I race out the door to school. Then every night after I tuck in my adorable and endless energy machines (my boys) into bed, I'm back at work, typing away.

This project has been difficult for me to write as I mentioned before because I'm trying out some new styles. And even though I plotted the novel, the characters seem to have a whole different agenda going on. They really have caused havoc to my outline. So I threw the outline out last night and came up with a whole different ending.

It's hard. Sometimes I think it's impossible. And even though I haven't made it to the end yet, already I'm loving the results. The outcome is worth it.

Now speaking of great results, you MUST head over to Jessica Souders' blog. She's celebrating her book contract for RENEGADE and having a blow out contest. She's giving away a writer's pack and a reader's pack. RENEGADE is a book you have to read. Between the creepy underwater setting, a kick-butt heroine and Gavin who is all hotness, you don't want to miss out.

So head over and win something awesome!

NaNo Project

2011-10-28T20:05:00.000-04:00

I've never done NaNoWriMo in the past because November is one of my busiest months of the year. My busiest is actually August and September with school starting. And then it's November. But this year, I'm so determined to get my current writing project done. I'm half way through and I think NaNo can push me over the edge.

On top of doing NaNo, I'm going to be giving out prizes at the end of the month to celebrate my success! (If you're an Orange County public school teacher, I know you're laughing over that one right now).

So after I pass my 25% mark, I'll be giving away a book, then at the 50% mark, then the 75% mark. If I make it to the 100% mark, I'll give away 5 books total. So we'll see what happens by Dec. 1st and how many books I'll be giving away to my amazing blogger buddies!

You can check my side bar on the right to see how I'm progressing. Yeah, right now I'm at the big fat ZERO mark.

I probably won't be posting much since I'll be writing my butt off. But if you get a chance, send me good wishes, cyber chocolate and coffee. I'll need them.

Happy Diwali!

2011-10-26T19:08:00.000-04:00

One of my students brought me a bag of yummy treat this morning, happily telling me, "Happy New Year!"

My student is Indian and his family celebrates the Festival of Lights holiday by handing out presents and treats to friends and family members.

The Diwali holiday received it's name because it's literal translation is "row of lamps". People light small clay lamps with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil. Firecrackers are often sent off to drive away evil spirits.

So wishing you all a Happy Diwali!

Made Me Smile

2011-10-25T20:22:00.000-04:00

Today when I came home from work and opened my mailbox, I discovered my contributor copy of FUN FOR KIDZ magazine. I had totally forgotten I'd even wrote those articles for that issue! Thinking back, my oldest wasn't reading when I wrote them three years ago. So it was an unexpected surprise to find him sitting on the couch, reading the magazine and learning from something that I wrote.

It made me smile.

Last week I had a friend I'd met in Korea (she's now working in the Netherlands) come visit me. We had thought her trip wouldn't work out but in the end it did! The next thing I knew, she was flying out to Orlando to visit! We had a blast together catching up and riding all the roller coasters at Disney.

Another unexpected surprise.

Then tonight, I kind of had a big breakthrough on my current writing project. I'm trying out some new things with this book and it's kind of scary and overwhelming, but at the same time I'm learning so much from the process. And I love creating a new and fresh story.

So how about you? What brings a smile to your face today?

Overcome the Impossible

2011-09-27T21:19:00.000-04:00

So I'm knee deep in my current WIP and depending on the day, I'll tell you a totally different story about how I feel about it.

An except from my writing journal over the past few days:

Sunday- This plot is too difficult to write. Too many characters and they all have their own agenda. Need to ditch the story.

Monday- Forget what I said yesterday, I LOVE this book. It's amazing. It's brilliant. It's my best writing EVER!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday am- What was I thinking? This is all crap, crap, crap.

Tuesday pm- (after rereading supposed horrible last scene) So maybe this is workable. Give me about 257 more drafts and kill off a few characters, I might be able to pull this baby off.

Sound familiar?

We all have that internal critic telling us how horrible our writing is. (Okay so maybe YOU don't, but I sure do) But if you ask me, that's really not such a bad thing. Because that critic is what makes me a stronger writer.

The important component is balance. It's being able to identify my weaknesses while at the same time believing in the beauty of my story.

Overcoming the impossible takes one word at a time, one revision at a time. Until that book is sitting on the bookshelf in its shiny new cover waiting, dying to be read.

That Secret Place

2011-09-21T21:55:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite songs is "Sail Away" by Enya. I can totally picture myself jumping on board a random sailboat and slipping away into the sunset, my hair flying behind me like the movies.

Okay, so that's totally cheesy, but sometimes I do have that urge to get away and escape. Do you ever feel this way? Like when the kids are throwing fits over their homework, or when I get too many emails from work, or when the cats have shattered my favorite bowl from Bali, or when FIRE ANTS invade my house.

That's one of the things I love about writing. I can find that escape in my stories. After I put the boys to bed, I slip away to the front room, curl up on the couch with a million pillows, laptop tucked into my lap, and I start typing away. All the problems vanish and it's just me and my own little world. I call it my Secret Place.

Tonight I told my youngest it was time to start working on his homework. He said, "Maybe later, Mommy. Right now I'm taking a break and relaxing in Bora Bora."

I laughed so hard. I couldn't deny that Bora Bora sounded perfect right about then.

Sometimes we as writers need to have that Secret Place where no one can find us and we can escape.

Do any of you have a Secret Place, too?

Fun Stuff

2011-09-18T14:04:00.000-04:00

Here's a picture of one of my favorite Korean treats. It's got chocolate inside!

For many of you, the weather is getting cooler right now. Not here in Florida. But then I love the heat so bring it on!

When not teaching, I've been fast drafting my latest WIP which I'm so excited about. That and fighting FIRE ANTS. Yes, they have invaded our house! I have war wounds to prove it.

It was Chusok holiday for Koreans from Sept. 11-13 (for you Canadians and Americans, think the Korean version of Thanksgiving). So happy Chusok everyone! Here's a great article about Chusok (or Chuseok, depending on how you want to translate it) from Korea Legal.org. Or check out this past post on my own Chusok experience.

My sister's wedding pictures were posted on her photographer's blog and I HAD to share the blog link with you because they are just perfection. Her photographer, Abby Liga, is amazing. And Julianne, my sister, looks gorgeous. You have to look at these pictures!

Kelly Polark has recently started up this great blog called Book Recs of the Rock and Famous to promote literacy. Go check it out too!

Obsessed with the Hwarang Warriors

2011-09-09T20:47:00.001-04:00

I'm a history fan. I totally love the stuff. Documentaries are almost as enjoyable as watching Jane Austen movies. In high school, I used to read my history books for fun. So when I moved to Korea, I was totally entralled with Korean history and especially the Hwarang Warriors.

I did a blog post on it a while back after visiting a museum in Seoul and interestingly it's one of my most popular posts.

There's a lot of really cool things about the Hwarang warriors:

1. They inspired the Japanese to create what we now know as the Samurai warriors.

2. They practiced a martial art form that evolved into what's taekwondo today.

3. They were known to be able to kick a man off a moving horse.

4. The first Hwa Rang Do were females.
5. They followed many of the same ethic codes as the European knights did.

But the thing that sums it all up the best are the pictures. There's something very romantic about the age of Asian chivalry.

Revision Is This Part II

2011-09-07T06:40:00.001-04:00

This is in continuation from my last post on revision, Revision Is This. You didn't think I'd leave you dying on the path, did you?

My legs ache from the steep incline and I can barely put one foot in front of the other. I stagger to the top of the peak and let the wind brush a cool breeze against my cheeks. The air smells sweet like honeysuckle. A valley spreads below me in a patchwork quilt, and I realize it’s filled with tulips, daisies and tiny white flowers.

And there, just in the distance, stands the finish line, its crimson flags whipping against an icy blue sky.

Energy bursts through me and I take off in a sprint down the hill. The wind pushes against me now, tearing at my clothes, but I’m so caught up in my downward momentum that I don’t care. I’m practically flying.

I hit level ground. It’s rocky and weeds twist their way over the path, but my eyes focus on the finish line. Fire burns my lungs, a searing pain. It spreads through my whole body and yet I’ve never felt more alive than I do right now.
And then I cross the finish line. I lift my arms in victory, and I scream and shout. Someone presses a thin, cold disc into my sweaty hand.

My medal.

The blisters are forgotten, the cuts and bruises have vanished, and the doubts have been left in the dust because I’ve finished the race.

And nothing can take that victory from me.I’ve nearly made it. I’m almost there!

Revision Is This

2011-09-03T17:14:00.001-04:00

I’ve run 10 miles. My legs are jelly. Blisters rub against the soles of my sneakers. Sweat drips down my face, burning my eyes, and my shirt is drenched.

I stumble and I fall to the ground, scraping my knees and palms against the concrete. I know I need to get up. I know the end is near. But I can’t. I’m tired, I think dully as I stare at the blood cutting its way to my knee’s surface.

And then I see her. My coach, strutting over to me, her eyes lit with fire.

“What are you doing?” she yells. “Get up! Don’t give up now that you’re almost there!”

I stare up at her. She looks a whole lot like me, except she’s got muscular legs and arms and her ponytail bobs with just as much enthusiasm as her words. She’s even holding a timer and a clipboard with a list of goals and aspirations.

Then another person, who also has a strange resemblance to me, rushes over. She’s wearing soft pink pajamas and hooked in the crook of her arm hangs a wicker basket filled with books and sweets.

“Leave her alone!” Pink PJ girl tells my coach. “Running is the most ridiculous pastime. And she’s not even good at it. Look at her!” Then to me, “Forget this nonsense. What you need to do is forget about running and relax with a good book, a comfortable pillow and some chocolate.”

Pink PJ girl has a point. I do need rest. And at times this run has felt pointless. Sometimes I wonder if I’m going in useless circles or even the right direction. I look down at my aching body and my bloody knees. I sure don’t look like a runner. More like I’ve been through combat. Besides, her proposal sounds tempting. Especially since she’s holding out to me a copy of Hunger Games and Pride and Prejudice along with a bag of dark chocolate.

But then my coach says, “You were destined to run. The time to rest is coming. But first you must finish the race!”

Her words fill me with hope and somehow I stagger to standing, groaning as my muscles cramp up. I push away Pink PJ girl’s soft pillow and sweet chocolate and I start running. Because my coach is right. This is what I was meant to do.

Run.

And nothing is going to stop me from reaching the finish line.

(Okay, so I'm being slightly dramatic *grin*. But do you ever feel like this? And for more specific ways on what I've been doing in my revisions this last summer, click over to the MiGs blog where I blogged about it)

Winners!

2011-08-31T19:24:00.000-04:00

Oh wow guys. Things have been insanely busy for me. I'm not sure if I've actually ever been this busy, or at least in a very long time. Last week was the first week of school, my sister got married and I finished my revisions. Busy, busy times.

BUT now things have seemed to slow down and I plan on...sleeping. Ha! Okay, maybe not ALL the time. But more of it. Defintely.

And I've got WINNERS to announce for my celebration contest!

Angelina Hansen is the winner of GOOD ENOUGH by Paula Yoo

Tina Jones-Jovanovic is the winner of WHAT WILL YOU BE, SARA MEE? by Kate Aver Avraham

Congrats guys!

Korea's Got the Coolest Stuff

2011-08-05T09:31:00.001-04:00

A friend of mine sent me this link and I was like: "A virtual grocery store? Brilliant!"

But the thing is, if anyone can do it, Korea can. They are so technologically advanced and service orientated, it's totally expected.

Basically, it's a shopping experience catered for those too busy to shop. Tesco (similar to the American version of Walmart) has created a virtual supermarket in a subway station. While waiting for your train to arrive, why not get your grocery shopping done in the meantime?

I know, it's a busy mom's dream come true.

First, browse through the products on the wall. Then scan the bar code of the item you want with your cell phone. And viola! A basket of your goods will be delivered directly to your apartment!

See? It's cool. Very cool.

Christine Fonseca Interviews Me

2011-08-03T10:33:00.000-04:00

Hey guys! I've had the honor of being interviewed by Christine Fonseca over at her blog: Opening the Door to New Worlds.

Christine is a school psychologist by day and lover of books by night. So she began to blend the two together and wrote parenting and advice books for kids that delve into the often turbulent world of emotional intensity and giftedness. In addition to writing books related to giftedness, she writes contemporary, fantasy, romance, and gothic novels for teens.

Please stop by here and say 'hi'!

Party Time!

2011-08-01T07:55:00.000-04:00

Oh my gosh guys. You are absolutely amazing! Thank you so much for all of your kind words and congratulations. It was totally a Christmas-in-July-day. Each of your messages were like little presents. You guys ROCK!

And now it's time to PARTY!

For starters, we need music. If you ever get a chance to see the Nanta show, I highly recommend it! These drummers are amazing.

A party is never a party without food. Today's party choices are:

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake (my family's favorite)

Black Magic Cake (Divine!)

Chocolate Cover Strawberries

GAMES! Look to your right at the side bar. Be sure to vote for your favorite type of chocolate!

And most importantly: CONTEST TIME!

As many of your know, I lived and taught at an international school in Seoul, Korea for the last 8 years. While there, I fell in love with the country and its people. So I wrote a book about my experiences.

So as you can imagine, I'm a fan of Korean-based literature. To celebrate, I'm giving away three Korean-based books in three different genres: picture book, middle grade, and young adult.

Here they are:

WHAT WILL YOU BE, SARA MEE?

About the Book:

Will she be an artist? A cook? A writer?

Sara Mee is turning one, and her family and friends gather for her tol, or first-birthday celebration. Food and presents abound, but most exciting of all is the traditional Korean prophecy game, called the toljabee, which predicts what Sara Mee will be when she grows up.

ARCHER'S QUEST by Linda Sue Park
About the Book:

Twelve-year-old Kevin, a Korean American math whiz, is shocked beyond belief when a young man, complete with bow and arrows, crash lands in his bedroom. And that's just the beginning. The man, called Skillful Archer, claims to be a legendary ruler from ancient Korea. While Kevin tries explaining contemporary life to the man he nicknames Archie, the young ruler teaches Kevin about focusing his thoughts in an attempt to help him return to his kingdom.

GOOD ENOUGH by Paula Yoo

How to Make Your Korean Parents Happy
1. Get a perfect score on the SATs.
2. Attend Korean church every week, no matter what.
3. Don't talk to boys. (They will distract you from your studies.)
4. Get into Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Dartmouth, Columbia, Brown, Penn, MIT, Stanford, University of California at Berkeley, Smith/Mount Holyoke/Bryn Mawr/Wellesley. Then get into Harvard or Yale Law School and/or Harvard or Yale Medical School.
5. Become a Korean doctor. When all else fails, marry a Korean doctor.

Aren't these fantastic books? You know you want them! Fill out the form below and mark which book you prefer. I will choose one winner from each category.

Contest ends Aug. 13th.

AGENTED!!!!!!

2011-07-29T09:29:00.002-04:00

There are the everyday moments, the ones you never notice.

Then there are the awful ones that wet your pillow with tears.

There are the moments that fill you with precious memories.

And there are moments you LIVE for.

I've just had a LIVE FOR moment!

*SCREAMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

Yeah, I'm totally freaking, flipping out. And dancing around the house.

Because I can now say I have an AGENT!!!!!!

I am totally thrilled to announce that I've signed with Jeff Ourvan from the Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency. Not only is he amazingly cool and knowledgeable, but he loves my work.
SQUEEEEEEEE!

Here's me freaking out:

Thankfully I calmed down so I could sign the contract:

And here I am with the smile that's glued to my face:

There are some people that I MUST thank because they have been a huge part of all of this and are full of pure awesomeness:

My hubby- You never doubted.
Julianne, my sister and muse- So many late night phone calls listening and solving my 'issues'. You always believed in me.
Beth Revis- You were there when I first started writing (dear Lord, poor you), and you've been my cheerleader and great friend through all of this. And yes, your critiques are always spot on.
Casey McCormick- You never let me give up even when I wanted to. Thank you for reading those awful drafts and never allowing me to write less than my absolute best. There are no words for how awesome you are.
Ellen Oh- My Korean expert! Thank you for dropping everything to read my story in the midst of your own awesomeness book deals.

THE MIGS:
Andrea Mack- You always have such great insights and find those details that I miss.
Debbie Ridpath Ohi- For those critiques that made me think about everything in a new light.
Carmella Van Vleet- My taekwondo expert who inspired me to join a do-jang.

Susan Laidlaw- For keeping me true to my YA voice.

Kate Fall- For all those encouragements. How I needed those.

I truly believe that a writer's journey shouldn't be alone. It's about discovering, pushing yourself to new levels and more importantly telling a beautiful story that will touch lives. I couldn't do it without them. And I know my writing is that much richer because of them. *I heart you guys!*

Please pop back here on Monday because I'm going to celebrate with a PARTY on my blog! With book prizes, games, dancing and lots and lots of chocolate.

Hints of My News!

2011-07-26T07:49:00.000-04:00

I can't say much so I'm just going to share some pictures with you.

Kyongju Palace

The Samjokoh Amulet

The Haechi

The Tiger of Shinshi

SCBWI Florida's Mid Year Workshop

2011-07-23T11:43:00.000-04:00

First of all, it's time to announce the winner of Danyelle Leafty's serialized novel, THE FAIRY GODMOTHER DILEMMA. Congratulations to Melissa Higgins!!!!!! Please email your address to me at: farley dot christinaL at gmail dot com.

Not too long ago I attended SCBWI Florida's Mid Year Workshop with my local crit buds Larissa and Jess. While there, I soaked in the brilliance of Michele Burke, editor at Knopf, and authors Kathleen Duey and Marjetta Geerling.

My critique session was with Kristin Daly Rens, editor for Balzer and Bray, who edited a fantastic book called Rampant. Kristen was amazing and had some great ideas of how to make my latest WIP even better.

(okay so that's an awful picture of me and I promise I wasn't sleeping through the conference but Kathleen, Larissa, and Jess look gorgeous so that's all that matters)

Here are some gems that I picked up along the way form these amazing ladies:

There is a difference between writing for children and writing about children
Show! Show! Show! (don't tell)
Marjetta Geerling's POV Test- if you can replace any I with she/he and it doesn't change the story, you are actually writing in 3rd person.
Experience the moments! Don't just tell about them. Smells, sounds, visuals (Duey)
In YA, voice is everything so get inside your character's head. Kathleen suggested to interview our characters.
Write everything through your character's lens. (Geerling)
The impact of revision. Always keep in mind the heart of the story and what propels the characters. (Duey)
Don't fall into the trap of being vague and mysterious (especially fantasy) because you will loose your reader to confusion. (Burke)

As you can see, I could share notes all day. These ladies were fantastic and if you ever have a chance to hear them speak--GO!

Danyelle Leafly’s THE FAIRY GODMOTHER DILEMMA

2011-07-18T19:02:00.001-04:00

I am thrilled to be a part of the blog tour announcing the release of Danyelle Leafly’s THE FAIRY GODMOTHER DILEMMA! I’ve had the honor of reading the first three chapters and I can promise you, the story is full of action, memorable characters, giggles, and magic.

And I love how Danyelle is releasing her book as a serial novel. It’s like opening a little package every week when the installments are released!

Not only is Danyelle a collector of dragons, talking frogs, and fairy godmothers, she also helps run the Query Tracker blog and Myth-takes blog. You can find her on the web here:

http://www.danyelleleafty.com

www.myth-takes.blogspot.com

www.querytracker.blogspot.com

To celebrate Danyelle’s book release, she has kindly offered to stop by and chat with us.
Here's a quick synopsis of THE FAIRY GODMOTHER DILEMMA:

Sixteen-year-old Breena doesn’t want to leave the faerie queen’s court, and she doesn’t want a fairy godmother. But if she has to choose between the two, she’d leave the Faerie Realm over getting bossed about by a faerie with a pointed stick any day. Unfortunately, her attempt to evade her fairy godmother gives her growing pains in the form of fur, whiskers, and a tail.

Turning into a cat is the least of her worries, though, because the potion wasn’t meant to bring out her inner feline, it was meant to put her to sleep. Forever. If Breena wants to make it to her Happily Ever After, she’ll have to accept that sometimes having a fairy godmother makes all the difference in the world.

The telling of THE FAIRY GODMOTHER DILEMMA alternates between four characters. What were your biggest challenges in writing through the eyes of so many characters?

My biggest challenge has been getting them to talk when they were supposed to, and getting them to be quiet otherwise. Two of them have a hard time taking orders, and it’s a bit unnerving to feel them boring holes of disapproval into my brain while I write.

What inspired you to try out this innovative means of publishing your novel?
I had considered doing something along these lines for a while now, but wasn’t sure how to do it. I was also a little worried about identity theft—my characters’, not mine—so I knew that I needed a platform that would make the story available to readers without having it too open.

I ran into Tracy Hickman at Caped CONduit earlier this year, and learned that he had just finished up with his first serial novel (he and his wife co-authored it) and was starting on the second book. I was intrigued when I learned a little more about how he’d set it up, and excited when I found out that he had an online course that detailed how his method worked and how to get everything set up.

His scope reached far beyond what I had been considering, and I’m definitely glad I went with it.
Tell us a little about how and when the chapters and Nerissa’s journal entries are released:

Generally speaking, Nerissa’s journal entries (Fairy Notes) are released on the blog portion of my website every Wednesday. Or, if you subscribe to the email list, they’re delivered to your inbox instead.

Once THE FAIRY GODMOTHER’S DILEMMA is finished, edited, and formatted, I’m planning on including the Compendium and Fairy Notes as extras at the end of the ebook.
I love how your website is interactive with your readers. You have an Are You My Fairy Godmother board, extras such as the Compendium of Fairy Godmothering Terms, and Fairy Notes.

Thanks! My idea for this—branching off of Tracy’s method—was to make my website as interactive as possible. The extras are a lot of fun to do, and I think they work to bridge the time in between chapter releases.

I also liked the idea of being able to chat and get to know my readers better through the comments as well as the forums. Some of the forums are hidden, but are fully accessible once you register. One of the forums deals with the story (so if that squid showing up in chapter twenty, for example, makes you wonder if my work space is ventilated well enough, you can say something :p). Another forum deals with general writing (anyone can get feedback on their own pieces), and the last deals with books (this is the place where you can share what you’re reading or spread the word about awesome books you’re reading).

Now that I’ve read your first three chapters, I’m hooked! But I also can’t wait for the ebook and hardcover. When will those be released?

Thanks, Christina! :) There will be about a month in between the end of the novel and when it’s released as an ebook. I’m planning on releasing the ebook near the end of November. The hardcovers will be mailed out as soon as I receive them from the printer. I’m hoping to have them mailed out by mid-December. (I’ll have a more definite date in a couple of months.)

And here are some quickies:

1. Favorite type of chocolate: Sordid confession: I don’t eat chocolate. But if I did, it would be the kind that was drowned in caramel. (Everything’s better with caramel!)

2. #1 country you’d like to visit: Embarrassing confession: I’d *love* to visit Scotland just so I could listen to people talk. Also, I hear it’s a beautiful country. O:) I’d also like to visit Japan one day.

3. Favorite mode of transportation: Pumpkin coach and a good book.
4. Preferred writing method: Definitely computer!

Thank you so much Danyelle for chatting with us!Now that you've heard from Danyelle, you can see what an amazingly creative author she is. In celebration of THE FAIRY GODMOTHER DILEMMA, I am giving out a subscription! Just post a comment to enter.

The Key to Success

2011-07-17T23:00:00.000-04:00

Recently I read a thread on a message board where authors were sharing some of their frustrations on their book sales and being able to meet their publisher's expectations.

What do you think helps an author find success besides writing a really great book? Is it their amazing blog? Book tours? Awards? Marketing?

And what would success look like to you as a writer? Would it be publishing a book? Publishing multiple books? Movie deals?

I've actually thought a lot about this. I suppose for me it's to know that I have an impact on my readers. That somehow I can bring the joy of reading and discovery while somehow touching their lives in a way that I couldn't as a teacher.

The picture above is an antique Korean lock and key. Pretty cool huh?

The Fairy Godmother Dilemma Blog Tour Coming Soon

2011-07-09T20:16:00.004-04:00

In two days Danyelle Leafty is kicking off her blog tour celebrating the release of her book, THE FAIRY GODMOTHER DILEMMA. The fun all starts on Monday with Christine Fonseca. Don't miss out!

Christy Farley
PJ Hoover
LT Elliot

Elana Johnson

Here's a little about Danyelle:

Danyelle Leafty writes MG and YA fantasy. In her spare time, she collects dragons, talking frogs, and fairy godmothers. She can be found discussing the art of turning one's characters into various animals, painting with words, and the best ways to avoid getting eaten by dragons on her blog. Her serial novel THE FAIRY GODMOTHER DILEMMA can be found here. You can contact her here.

THE FAIRY GODMOTHER DILEMMA

Finding the Right Idea

2011-07-07T08:14:00.000-04:00

I have been trying out something new when it comes to deciding on a new book idea. I type up a synopsis and then write up the first three chapters of the book. Then I have my CP's take a look at it. If you're like me, you have a million book ideas and they all could be really cool.

But the question is whether there are already a hundred books recently published just like my idea. Or is this really something new and innovative? Or would it be something that my CPs are like: WOW! I HAVE TO READ THE WHOLE THING! WHERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER?

It also feels good to get some of those ideas out on paper. To see how the story might unfold (although it always changes as you start writing it, doesn't it?). Is this the story I want to be spending the next year of my life on?

There is the negative in this. I could be super excited about an idea and then if I get bad feedback on it, I might not be as motivated to complete the next project. I have a lot of writing friends who don't like to share any part of the novel until they've got that first draft finished.

But right now I'm lucky. Since I don't have looming deadlines, I still have the freedom to write what I want and take as long as I want. So I might as well have fun and enjoy it.

Have any of you done anything like this before? I'm curious to see how it worked out for you.

Angelina C. Hansen- She's Got Fiction Addiction

2011-07-05T11:59:00.000-04:00

I'd love to introduce to you a fellow blogger friend, Angelina C. Hansen. She is a YA Novelist repped by Katie Grimm of Don Congdon Associates and the 2009 SCBWI WIP Grant Recipient. Impressive stats, if I might say.

And you can check out here blog here.

What got you started into writing?
A combination of things: a lifelong fiction addiction, extreme envy of my work-from-home husband, and an acute desire for a teenage daughter. So basically I started writing so I could stay home, read books for “work”, and create my very own virtual teenagers.

What book did you last read that had an impact on your writing?
Amy Efaw’s AFTER—a perfect example of deep POV with a fabulous voice and page-turning suspense. I aspire to someday reach this level of skill in my own writing.

What are some of the biggest issues you face as a writer and how do you deal with them?
Finding balance so that my writing life doesn’t consume the rest of my life. I’ve had to set limits on how much time I spend writing and all the other stuff that comes with trying to get a book published.

What has helped?
One day a week is designated “internet, computer, and electronic device” free. One morning each week is for hiking in the woods. And an alarm goes off at 8:30 every morning reminding me to close the laptop and move on to other things.

Tell us a little bit about your current project?
1942, Occupied Paris, brave young women, provocative young men. Loyalty. Betrayal. And one nasty Gestapo agent.

What has been the most difficult part of writing it?
Finding just the right words to suit both the voice and epoch.

What are some of your favorite books?
How about some of my favorite YA authors: Laurie Halse Anderson, Ally Carter, Sonya Sones, Jenny Han, Jo Knowles, Megan Whalen Turner, Sarah Dessen, and many others I can’t remember off the top of my head. If I tried to pick favorite books I’d implode.

And here are some quickies:

1. Favorite type of chocolate: All. But sadly, I’m sugar sensitive and can’t eat any

2. #1 country you’d like to visit: Italy, again. But I’m afraid I’d never come home…

3. Favorite mode of transportation: My feet

4. Preferred writing method: My laptop, Bertie.

(Can I just say I love that you named your laptop!)

Thank you Angelina! I loved hearing these snippets about your writing life.

Tips for Setting Your Novel Internationally

2011-06-30T08:29:00.001-04:00

Having lived overseas for 10 years and traveled as well, I love reading books set in other countries. Lately, I'm seeing more of these types of books and I think that's due to the fact that the US is becoming more aware of the world outside of its borders.

There definitely has been a boom of multicultural fiction in the last decade, which was so needed. But now I truly believe its time for the market to allow books set in other countries where the focus isn't only on Americans but on a world-view.

Some books that I've really enjoyed that deal with an international focus and have accurate settings are Sea by Heidi R. Kling, Heist Society by Ally Carter and Die for Me by Amy Plum.

Sea is set on the island Java, Indonesia where I lived for two years so I was curious to see how accurate Kling would be. As I read, I was transported back to those days I lived there. I remembered the first time I'd entered a local bathroom, found out about the left hand thing, and the onslaught of the rains in the rainy season. If you want a story depicting life in Indonesia, I'd highly recommend Sea.

Heist Society by Ally Carter really pulls in an international view because it's set in multiple European countries. I love not only the intrigue, the brilliant plot of this novel and the witty, engaging characters but I love how these characters are not restricted to one country. The world becomes their playground.

Die for Me is set in Paris. Now I'm not an expert to Paris since I've only been there once as a tourist, but as an expatriate, I can always tell when an author knows their setting. And Plum obviously does. She has the details so perfectly captured from the cafe's, the locals market, the words used and nuances of the culture that a tourist would never notice. But my biggest quibble which she passed (being that I've taught and visited many international schools) is she had the American School right too! Any American living in Paris would be going to that school and she presented it accurately as well. Kudos!

I also would recommend the review of Die for Me given on the blog hobbitsies. Excellent and I completely agree.

Things to consider when writing a book set in another country:

1. Do go visit your setting and bring along a journal. My journal was divided in categories:

my daily experiences
vignettes of people and places that I saw (I liked sitting in cafes and just observing a person. I'd sketch out their profile and then image a story up for them in this setting
smells
visuals
particular details I enjoyed- or didn't!
foods and their tastes
think about the religion, their holidays and how the society interacts through those
notes of unusual things that a tourist wouldn't pay attention

2. I recommend seeing your setting through your character's eyes. What would your character notice that would be unique to them? For instance, if your character is an artist, they would focus on the art of the place or if your character loves shopping, it would be the shops and merchandise.

3. Does your character or any of the characters go to an international school there? Nearly every major city has an international school or two! If you want to change the name of the school that's fine, but I'd be wary of making up everything about the location, because you are missing a pivotal part of the culture. And if you get a reader who went to an international school, it takes out the accuracy of your novel.

Instead, I'd recommend emailing the school and requesting to interview a student or teacher from that school to find out what life is like there. You'll be amazed at the things you learn from the culture.

But traveling is expensive and buying a plane ticket and jetting off to an exotic location isn't always feasible. If you can't travel, then you will have to work hard to recreate what you can't experience. Ways to do this are: interviews, maps, movies, blogs of other's experiences and books from that country.

More links:

I did an interview with Kirsten on her blog A Romantic Meets the World- Soaking in your setting: Christina Farley
Nathan Bransford shares what a great setting is here
Beth Revis talks about the setting in a dystopian novel here but really, it's full of great tips for all writers

What are some of your favorite books set in other countries. Please share any tips that you may have too!

Summer is in Full Swing

2011-06-29T13:40:00.001-04:00

Yes! It's summertime. That means no school, no classes, and lots of fun. It's been so nice to have lots of time with my boys. We've been to Disney, swimming, movies, library, and doing our own version of school here at home (poor boys having both their parents as teachers!).

I've also gotten a chance to do a lot of reading and writing. My WIP is coming along nicely and I'm excited about it. Are you on Goodreads? I am here. Come friend me! I love to see what my blogger friends are reading.

One of my favorite reads so far this summer was Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins. I liked the first book in the series but this one really pulled me into the story. I was so impressed with Hawkins storytelling. It's true, I'm a very picky reader, but this book was not only hard to put down with its engaging plot, but her writing was so smooth and effortless that I forgot I was reading a book. So often in books I find myself being reminded by the narration that I'm actually reading a book rather than just 'living' out the story.

What is your favorite book so far this summer?

The Brilliant Ones

2011-05-31T20:10:00.000-04:00

Hey guys! There is always so much going on in the blogging world, but I wanted to share some great things happening with The Brilliant Ones (the name I coined for my crit buds). These girls are the coolest chicks on the web so head over to their blogs and check out what they're up to!

I can't even begin to express how much they mean to me. I can't deny I think I'm the luckiest girl on the planet to be a part of their lives. I know for a fact I wouldn't be still writing today if it wasn't for them.

And on a personal note, Angelina C. Hansen interviewed me here: Partner on the Path, Christina Farley. Please click and say hi!

Casey McCormick runs the famous blog, Literary Rambles, where her Agent Spotlight helps make the agent search less daunting.

Beth Revis has all the ins and outs listed on where to get autographed books from fantastic Indie Bookstores here.

Andrea Mack is a guru when it comes to middle grade fiction. She's got fantastic tips and if you're looking for a starting point on books to read, she's the one to check out.

Debbie Ridpath Ohi is not only a fantastic writer, but she creates cartoons that brighten up my day like Will Write for Chocolate (Hello? Could there ever be a better name?) You can even order cool writer gear from her site here.

Over at Author 2 Author, Kate Fall chats about Internet Time.

And Carmella Van Vleet shares great insights with the MiGs about her latest book here.

Oh and one more for you! I found the most awesomeness recipe, Chocolate Crumb Bars. Bake them and everyone will think you were sent from heaven. Try it!

My 20 Minute Trial

2011-05-29T13:15:00.001-04:00

As you all may have remembered, I was having a hard time sitting my butt in the chair to write last winter (see here). It's been a roller coaster of a year with moving, getting back into full time teaching, taking classes and taking all of my teaching certificate tests again. (I had certificates in three states and smart me thought one of the them was still active. Still kicking myself for letting that expire.)

The mere thought of finishing my revisions and querying an agent who I thought might be right for me seemed daunting. So I just didn't.

But then spring came and I started to feel like I was treading water rather than sinking. So I thought, yeah I could do 20 minutes of writing a day. And let me tell you baby, it worked!

At first it really was only 20 minutes but as the days grew, I started finding my muse again, started finding time (I've learned to become very efficient), pulled out the caffeine and wrote, wrote, wrote.

Actually I started writing like a mad women.

And in two and a half weeks it will be SUMMER. This will be the first summer I've had in 10 years where I haven't had to travel, shop for a year, and see all the relatives. My summer plans? Write a book, or two. It's going to be great. No, it's going to be awesome.

I Can. Not. Wait.

Disney's Flower and Garden Festival

2011-05-25T22:36:00.000-04:00

Hubby and I went on a date (squee!) the other evening to Epcot's Flower Festival. Every spring, Disney blows it out on floral and garden ideas at Epcot. We had fun taking pictures and smelling all of the lovely flowers and herbs along the way.

I love picking off the leaves of plants and smelling the different herbs. I think it's because I kill practically every plant that I buy. Currently I've got two plants still alive! (Brown but living) So seeing gardens like this totally blows my mind.

I've decided rosemary is my favorite.

There are 75 Disney character topiaries and 100 topiaries overall. It was fun finding them all. I was like this giddy little kid when I would find a new one (especially the Beauty and the Beast one, my fav movie). Hubby just laughed at me.

Here are some of my favorite Disney character topiaries:

Rapunzel's Tower

100 Dalmatians

Sleeping Beauty

Hunger Games- The Movie

2011-05-09T18:49:00.000-04:00

Have you seen this link? It has the cast for the Hunger Games. I'm so excited about this, I can't even handle it. Wish we all could go out and do movie night together to see it!

Winner of FURY!!!!!

2011-05-01T14:42:00.000-04:00

Thanks again to Cindy Pon for stopping by and chatting here at Chocolate for Inspiration. And now for the winner of FURY...

(Drum roll)

Terry Lynn Johnson!!!!!

By the way, I had to put that picture up of Cindy, Lexi and myself. It's an old one, before her first book had come out, but still fun memories!

My Sister's Bridal Shower

2011-04-27T19:52:00.000-04:00

So one of the reason's why I hadn't been blogging much was I threw a bridal shower for my sister, Julianne. A couple of you mentioned you'd love to see the pictures so here they are! Maybe it will inspire you to have an Asian themed party.

Since my sister worked in Hong Kong and then in Japan, Joy (one of the bridemaids) suggested we have an Asian theme. How fitting. So you'll notice our theme is Springtime in Japan (thrown in with all of Julianne's favorite foods and flowers).

I labeled all the food on parchment paper, one side in English, the other in Japanese (katakana and kanji) and glued it onto skewers. Then I stuck a daisy at the end for extra fun.

I put the cheese and fruit on a cutting board and a Japanese umbrella over it to protect it from the Florida sun (ironically, I got that unbrella in Korea while pregnant and hiking).

I hung Chinese lanterns that I found on sale at Old Time Pottery and Joann Fabrics inside the house and outside by the pool.

The champagne had sprigs of fresh lavender and for the lemonade glasses, I bought them online at Specialty Bottle (they are actually sauce jars!). I got the swirled straw online as well. Then I tied leaf paper cutouts onto the top with hemp. Guests wrote their names on it so their glasses wouldn't get confused.

For food, we had a chocolate fountain (of course!). What is a party without chocolate?

We had habachi grills and guests grilled chicken and tuna with skewers over the coals. Yum.

I kind of went overboard on the baking with the cookies on a stick, but they are so adorable aren't they? The boys loved them.

And then, Julianne's favorite dessert, Red Velvet Cupcakes. I used Paula Deen's recipe. The frosting is heavenly. When the guests left, they all got a cupcake wrapped in a baggie and tied with yellow ribbon.

We of course had games and prizes. Julianne sat in her 'throne' to open presents. We had gave her a memory book which made her cry. Thank you to Larissa (she's a Creative Memories consultant) for coming to my rescue and knowing what to order to make that happen! On my desk, guest could also write a message to Julianne with good wishes or advice.

It really was an amazing time. I can't believe my baby sister is getting married!

Over at the MiGs- Writing- A Way of Life

2011-04-20T06:57:00.000-04:00

Check out my blog post over at The MiGs on writing and making it become a way of life.

Interview and Giveaway with Cindy Pon!

2011-04-16T17:00:00.002-04:00

On March 29th, Fury of the Phoenix by Cindy Pon was released! I’m so excited because this is a book I’ve been waiting forever to be released since I finished reading Silver Phoenix.

And even better, today we’re going to chat with Cindy (love her) and I’m giving away a copy of Fury.

In case you were wondering what Fury is about, here’s a little blurb:

When Ai Ling leaves her home and family to accompany Chen Yong on his quest to find his father, haunted by the ancient evil she thought she had banished to the underworld, she must use her growing supernatural powers to save Chen Yong from the curses that follow her. Part supernatural page-turner, part love story, and altogether stirring, Fury of the Phoenix further heralds the arrival of Cindy Pon as a stellar author of paranormal romance and fantasy.

Me (drinking tea): Fury is a sequel to Silver Phoenix. What has been your favorite part of continuing Ai Ling’s and Chen Yong’s story?

Cindy (drinking boba): Although it was challenging to write, I did enjoy the sexual tension.

What was the most difficult part about writing a sequel?

Cindy: Oh, the whole thing. haha! Writing Fury was honestly one of the most difficult things I've ever done in my life. I think the fact that I couldn't write and revise at my own leisure was the most challenging. I wasn't certain if I could do what I needed to do for the story (and my editor) in the time given. High pressure!

I love how you bring food into your writing. It’s like your signature. I kept getting hungry when I read Silver Phoenix. What are your favorite foods?

Cindy: Thank you! I do love to eat. But I think that food is essential to world building, especially in Xia, which is inspired by China. Food is so important in our culture for celebration and for ritual. Of course I love Chinese food like xiao long bao (soup dumplings), chow mien and mapo tofu. I also love Taiwanese "small eats" like pigs blood with sticky rice and intestines and deep fried tempura (fish cake).

One of the things I loved about Silver Phoenix is how you brought in the Chinese mythology and tales. It really adds something fresh and unique to what is on the bookshelves. What are some of your favorite Chinese mythical creatures that you brought into your books?

Cindy: Many of them were made up by me! But the most intriguing actually based on Chinese folklore would be the snake demon.

I noticed your lovely paintings on your website and read that you’re currently developing a picture book. Any gossip that you are able to share with us?

Cindy: Alas, no. Though that is my next project to tackle. I'm hoping to fill a picture book full of color and cute animals. Wish me luck!

Absolutely!

And here are some quickies:

1. Favorite type of chocolate: Belgian pralines

2. #1 country you’d like to visit: China!

3. Favorite mode of transportation: London tube

4. Preferred writing method: my macbook!

Thank you so much Cindy!

Now fill out the form below to be entered to win a copy of FURY! The deadline is April 30th.

Missing Korea

2011-04-13T21:22:00.000-04:00

A friend sent this video link to my husband and it brought back so many great memories of living in Korea and made me a little 'home' sick. Thought I'd share it with you. I know some of you also used to live in Korea or even still do!

And if you've been following my blog for a whle, many of those places might be familiar to you too!

Writing and Food Over at MiGs

2011-04-12T19:36:00.000-04:00

Have you ever thought about how food could effect your writing? Or are you like me and need food while you write? Check out my post over at The MiGs on how food inspires my writing. I'd love to hear your stories too!

Writing Everyday

2011-04-11T20:24:00.001-04:00

I make my students read at least 20 minutes every day. They even have to record their minutes on a piece of paper and turn it in every Friday. To my parents, I promise them improvement in their child’s overall reading and writing levels just from that 20 minutes. Studies prove it.

So I have to ask myself am I doing that with my own writing? Am I doing at LEAST 20 minutes every day? No. At least not this year since I’m working full time. Lately I’ve become one of those writers who writes in spurts when I can get an hour chunk here and there. But I’m not sure that’s the best for my latest WIP.

There’s something about being in the ‘vibe’ of a novel and hanging out with my characters every day. It really keeps me connected to the story I’m writing. Plus if I promise myself to just write for a few minutes, suddenly those few minutes becomes longer. Great trick, right?

But more than anything, writing everyday keeps my skills sharp, my mind focused, and my word count up (!!!!).

So I’m changing my writing schedule. I’m promising myself to write at LEAST 20 minutes 6 days a week. I’m also going to keep myself accountable by recording it in my desk calendar.

What do you think? Will I see results? I’ll let you know at the end of April!

iClue

2011-04-01T15:05:00.000-04:00

My crit buddy, Beth Revis, along with a slew of amazing authors and book bloggers, is hosting one of the most incredible contests ever. Check out the details on Beth's blog here. Basically you can win awesome books and an iPad. Tell me that isn't awesomeness.

Congratulations Debbie Ohi!!!!

2011-03-11T18:50:00.000-05:00

If you all haven't heard yet, my crit partner Debbie Ridpath Ohi from our MiG's group has announced her picture book deal. She will be illustrating I'M BORED by Michael Ian Black - Simon & Schuster 2012.

VERY exciting.

Yeah, as you can see all my crit buddies are getting fantastic book deals. I'm hoping their good luck will rub off on me! LOL.

Regardless, I'm so, so excited. She's got a great story to tell. Check it out here.

This girl with the red dress is my favorite illustration of Debbie's. Isn't Debbie talented? Just wait until a publisher grabs up her middle grade book!

AND we're having a PARTY to celebrate her book deal over at the MiG Writer's Blog. Check it out! Cool prizes and a video congrats too.

Come party with us!

What Do You Write?

2011-03-09T21:43:00.000-05:00

Today I taught imaginative narrative to my 2nd graders. Basically, it’s a formal way for saying, “Now you're going to write a really cool story!” Anyway, one of the things I talked to them about was how they needed to find their niche. The type of story that works for best for their voice.

The thing is, often you have to experiment to find what you’re best at writing.

For instance, I really suck at comedy. I’ll never forget when my critique partner told me my comedy scene reminded her of Scooby Doo. Yeah, it was that bad. And believe me, I love my crit buddy for telling me that. I still giggle thinking about that scene. Let’s just say it has been happily deleted.

But what I am good at is writing action/fight scenes. Oh and suspense scenes, too. Love those. Not only are they so much fun to write, but they’re the perfect motivation for me to get my butt in the chair and get my daily word count in. My biggest challenge now is to not put too many action/fighting scenes in my books. Otherwise reading my stories could be a lot like drinking an endless supply of caffeine. Or an overload of chocolate.

But then, too much chocolate can’t be bad, can it?

So what type of stories are you best at writing? Mysteries? Romance? Action? Comedy?

Winner of Korean Bag!

2011-02-28T20:49:00.000-05:00

Thanks again to Ellen Oh for stopping by and chatting with us here. She's amazing isn't she?

AND I have a winner of the Korean silk bag. It goes to Kim Kasch. Congratulations Kim!

10 Trends in Children's Books from 2010

2011-02-25T21:42:00.000-05:00

Scholastic, the largest publisher and distributor of children's books, released last December a list of 10 Trends in Children's Books from 2010. I thought this was pretty interesting:

* The expanding Young Adult (YA) audience

* The year of dystopian fiction

* Mythology-based fantasy

* Multimedia series

* A focus on popular characters---from all media

* The shift in picture books (25-30 percent fewer titles)

* The return to humor

* The rise of the diary and journal format

* Special-needs protagonists

* Paranormal romance beyond vampires

Read the whole press release here.

Interview and Contest with Ellen Oh!

2011-02-22T19:28:00.000-05:00

Grab a coffee, tea or hot chocolate and relax while we chat with Ellen Oh about her upcoming (AMAZING) book, PROPHECY: The Dragon King Chronicles.

From Publisher's Marketplace - Ellen Oh's PROPHECY: The Dragon King Chronicles, in which an elite warrior and bodyguard to her cousin, the young prince, is feared and mistrusted by all except a select few in the Kingdom who know of her power as a demon hunter, and how she may be the vanguard in the coming war against invading forces, to Phoebe Yeh at Harper Children's, in a good deal, in a three-book deal, for publication in Summer 2012, by Joe Monti at Barry Goldblatt Literary (NA).

Me (drinking my chocolate tea from Jeju): I am so excited about your upcoming book PROPHECY. (I have to admit I’m totally biased since I’m a complete Korean literature fanatic.) What was the hardest part of the whole process?

Ellen (making a face at Christy’s chocolate tea and gulping down her Diet Coke): Revising so many times. I rewrote the book 4 major times and have more than 75 saved drafts of it.

Wow! 75 drafts. That is mind blowing and just goes to show your determination. What do you think was your biggest obstacle in this process?

Ellen: My ego. I did this whole post on how writers need to “shut up and listen” (here’s the link) and it was really my biggest lesson. Learning to take my ego out of the equation. Not just the ego that thinks I’m all that, but the other one that loves to tell you how much you suck. Once I was able to overcome that, my next lesson was learning the art of patience. That is a lesson I’m still learning.

Over at your website you’ve posted maps, photos and a list of terms all pertaining to the Seven Kingdoms. It really shows how authentic and extensive your world building is. When did you first start dreaming up the Seven Kingdoms?

Ellen: I’d been working on a book that used ancient Korea as a setting for a long time. But Prophecy, which I was calling Seven Kingdoms at first, came to me as a fully fleshed out story idea three years ago while I was stuck in beltway traffic heading to work. I remember ripping pieces of paper from my bag – and scribbling different plot ideas on scraps of paper as I inched along the beltway.

And can I say to all my readers that you MUST go out and by this book because Kira is a true heroine. She’s strong and confident, and man, a fantastic fighter. Ellen, what gave you the inspiration to write a character like her?

Ellen: I’m a feminist – and proud of it too. I have 3 daughters. I’m all about Girl Power! The very first version of Prophecy was actually written from the boy’s perspective. But the idea was that this boy would narrate and show us how Kira, and not the boy, was the actual hero. And then I realized that the book needed to be completely rewritten so that I could tell the whole story from Kira’s perspective. Basically, I rewrote the entire book – I think there are possibly 4 scenes that actually survived from the first version.

What I especially love about PROPHECY is that it’s based in a historical setting. What were some of the challenges you faced as you researched?

Ellen: The biggest challenge is that there isn’t a lot of research out there for the time period of this book. 360 CE. Most of Korea’s historical documents were destroyed during the Mongolian invasion and then the two subsequent Japanese invasions. I did extensive research to hopefully make it feel as close to ancient Korea as I could, and then I let my imagination take over. After all, it’s first and foremost a fantasy novel. I invented cities that couldn’t possibly have existed, and that’s ok as long as I got the right feel for the time period.

Now that you have a book date set, what fills up most of your time? Writing a new book, working with your editor, or doing promotional work?

Ellen: I’m currently working on book 2 of the Dragon King Chronicles. It’s going to be even more action packed and filled with new Korean myths like the dokkaebi and the kumiho. Dokkaebi’s are like Korean goblins, but the cool thing about them is that they can be created from inanimate objects. The kumiho is a nine-tailed demon fox that supposedly eats men’s hearts and livers in a vain attempt to become human. It is so much fun incorporating these myths into my sequel.

And here are some quickies:

1. Favorite type of chocolate: Whenever my husband is in the doghouse or needs to put me in a good mood, he knows to buy me a box of Belgian chocolates by Neuhaus. I’m also a sucker for snickers bars. But my all time favorite way to eat chocolate is in a chocolate soufflé. Anybody who makes me good chocolate soufflé is automatically my best friend. But then again, anybody who brings me a chocolate glazed donut from Krispy Kreme is also my best friend. What can I say? I’m easy.

2. #1 country you’d like to visit: Korea. I’ve never been and I’m dying to go. I’m hoping that I can take the family next summer and that way I could write off at least my portion as research expenses!

3. Favorite mode of transportation: I’m kind of sedentary. I like sitting. But if I have to move, since I can’t clap my hands and have people carry me all around, I guess driving my bad ass new Mazda CX9 would be my preferred mode.

4. Preferred writing method: (i.e.) computer, pen, pencil: Is this a serious question? The idea of writing a manuscript longhand is absolutely horrifying. My hand cramps up at the thought. And even typewriters. Shudder. I don’t think I would have cut it as a writer in the old days. I’m waiting for technology to invent the computer that you can think all your thoughts into and have them all printed neatly out.

Wow. Are you guys inspired or what? I am. And to celebrate Ellen's fantastic book deal and general all around brilliance, I'm giving away a cute silk purse from Korea. See silly me posing with it.

Just fill out the form below. Contest ends Feb. 28th!

Conferences- Why I Go

2011-02-16T19:17:00.000-05:00

Conferences are a lot of money. Money that most of us don't have much of. But I can honestly say that the money I spent on my SCBWI conference was well worth it.

Wow. I got to meet so many amazing writers, agents, and editors. I sucked in more information that I thought I could manage. And I had way, way too much fun.

I think my favorite part was breaking down on the dance floor (Okay so I was wearing a medieval dress so it was more like floating around the dance floor but breaking sounds so much cooler doesn't it?) at the Dragonslayer's Ball. I have to say: Bruce Hale really knows how to dance. OMG!

And I loved just talking and talking and talking about writing to those there. And get this, they actually wanted to talk about writing too. Imagine that!

But my favorite, favoritest part was meeting all of my online buddies for the first time. We were like: 'Hey! I know you from your blog! Or I know you from the Blueboards!' We already knew so much about each other yet we'd never really met. Very cool but very weird.

My fun roomy, Mindy Alyse Weiss, who introduced me to everybody (let me tell you this girl knows everyone!). My car buds, Larissa Hardesty and Jess Souders- ARMADILLO! And Karen Strong who loves dessert as much as I do- a kindred spirit! (we both unashamedly begged for extra chocolate cake at the ball- yum!) Watch carefully because their books will be gracing the bookshelves someday.

So I want to send a cyber 'wave' to all of my new friends who are totally amazing, talented and brilliant. Can I just say, "Let's do it again in June?"

Agent and Editor Panels

2011-02-14T19:38:00.000-05:00

AGENT PANEL- Psst! Wanna Know a Secret?

Now for the agent and editor panels at the SCBWI conference. Wow. What a fantastic lineup and they were so open and willing to share their thoughts. I jotted down some notes below and hope they can be useful to you!

The agent panel consisted of Erin Murphy, Michael Bourret, and Sarah Davies

Thoughts from Erin:

• Measure success by your happiness

• Don’t compare yourself

• Talk through your book with your editor

• Don’t get attached to your title

Thoughts from Michael:

• Be happy with the work you are doing knowing that you are growing as a writer

• Set realistic goals

• He’s an advocate for his writers

• Treat people with kindness and respect

• Titles can be important because they can sell your book

• It all doesn’t end with the deal because you still need to sell the book

• Take one step at a time

Thoughts from Sarah:

• Rewriting or starting over again can be the most valuable tool to revision

• One word titles in YA are beginning to go out of style

• Writing isn’t for the fainthearted

General thoughts they shared during the 1st Page Critiques:

• Be careful that your beginning isn’t clearing your throat

• Use ‘said’

• Your plot and character must advance at the same time

• Be careful using date/time- needs to have a reason

• ‘see’ the story, not be told the story

• Intrigue the reader but don’t confuse them

• Descriptions should be clear, especially in fantasy

• PB’s need to focus on the illustrations

Editor Panel- Fantasy

Katherine Jacobs, Krista Marino, and Arianne Lewin

• Fantasy is a world not bound by our laws

• Fiction of the impossible

• Find a way to make your story fresh

• Write a book with a theme that goes through the whole story

• There is ALWAYS room for romance! They want romance.

• Read everything that’s out there

• Build on the classics

• Keep your readership in mind

Bruce Hale- Warrior’s Mind, Writer’s Mind

2011-02-10T19:26:00.000-05:00

Bruce Hale kicked off the SCBWI Miami conference and boy did he kick it off. Wow. Bruce is AMAZING! And not only is he a good speaker, he can write, sing and even dance. Oh, and he wears really cool hats too.

He read his book, Snoring Beauty to us (so funny! I loved it so much that I read it to my students who in turned laughed hysterically). He also concluded his talk with a song and got a standing ovation at the end. Truly inspirational!

As he was speaking, I jotted down some notes that I wanted to share with you. So if you're feeling down or need some great advice, listen to Bruce Hale. He really knows what he's talking about.

• Writing is a game of head and heart, not a game for sissies

• Art is war- at war with yourself

• Develop a mind/spirit of warrior

1. Start a Good Habit

• We are nothing more than the sum of our habits

• Too often do you do your habits- email, social networking, blog, tweet, TV, socialize on the phone

• Recommends changing 2 habits at a time

2. Write Like Your Hair is On Fire

• Write stories you are passionate about

3. Think it Through, Take the Big View

• Strategic thinking through the story

4. Teamwork makes the Dreamwork

• www.Brucehalewritingtips.com

5. Face the Iron Tiger

• Do you have something you are afraid to face?

• FACE- IT!

6. Beat Resistance with Persistence

• Most people give up just before they meet success

• If you pushed a little harder, would you get the results you wanted?

• Persistence beats talent any day

7. Deal with Rejection

• Don’t take it personally

• Give yourself permission to eat Haagen Dazs

Interesting Links

2011-02-06T20:12:00.001-05:00

I've been locked up in my writing cave for the last week (a little sick from too much chocolate and Twizzlers) working on revisions. But I still have more notes to share with you on the conference. I will get to those this week because they've got some good stuff in them and you'll want to read them!

But in the meantime, I wanted to share some links that I thought were very linkworthy. They were passed to me by writing friends and some of the conference speakers:

Fantasy World Building

Writer's Knowledge Base: a search engine for writers

Scott Westerfeld's Teen Vernacular by Notes from the Slush Pile

Cinda Williams Chima's Tips for Writers

Happy Clicking!

SCBWI Miami- Revision by Arianne Lewin

2011-01-31T06:37:00.000-05:00

Can I just say that the moment Arianne Lewin, executive editor at Putnam, started speaking at the SCBWI Miami conference I decided she was brilliant?

Not only is she down to earth and funny, but she has heaps of knowledge to share in an easygoing, natural way. She has also edited an incredible line of books including authors Cinda Williams Chima, Whoopi Goldberg, Laura Numeroff, and Julia Ann Peters.

So enough of me chattering away!

Here are some of the notes that I furiously typed down:

• Writing is revising!

• Think large-scale-big-picture revision first and then whittle down to the minor stuff

• Her job is not to take over a book but to make the best out of it

• A full revision would take about 8 hours

• If a book needs a big overhaul, she needs to make sure she thinks she can get out of the author what needs to be done

• Important things: voice, theme, quality, and good concept

• She can help you with the plot if you have a good voice, but can’t fix bad writing

• She likes to talk to writers before she acquires a book; she also has to show the author that she understands what the author is trying to do

• She’ll read a book two times before she begins editorial notes; she uses ‘track changes’- and then puts together an editorial letter (average 7 pages)

• She usually doesn’t read pitches

• Look for agents that are like minded to your work

• Keep in mind that a million editors will edit a manuscript a million different ways

How to Self Revised

- The experience of a book is more engaging than recapping it in narrative summary

- Scene is more engaging- take your readers right there participating in it, believing it

- Real time and watching the events unfold- gains the reader’s trust

- You want the reader to be put into the action and drawn into the story

- Showing something in scene allows you to make it deeply personal

- Trust the reader; let the reader draw their own conclusions

- Make sure your beginning doesn’t start too soon- you shouldn’t just jump into the portal but build that anticipation and characters

My SCBWI Miami Intensive

2011-01-25T20:44:00.002-05:00

Wow. SCBWI Miami was amazing. So amazing that after coming home I went straight to my computer and did a big push on my revisions.

The intensive I took featured agent Erin Murphy, author and writing coach Joyce Sweeney, and executive editor Krista Marino. They were amazing.

If you ever have the opportunity to take a workshop with any of these three- DO IT!

So here are a couple of gems that I picked up from the day:

What is your writing life like? Erin Murphy

1. What would my ideal writing life be like?

2. What are the obstacles that come in the way between my goals that ideal?

3. Am I over-disciplined or under-disciplined?

4. Think about tools that can help me- turn off internet, timer, turn off my screen when reading manuscripts

5. What are my strengths and resources I have as a writer?

Building a Scene- Joyce Sweeney

• If you can’t justify a scene, get rid of it

• Orientate your reader- promise the reader of what is to come

• Don’t describe a high school cafeteria!

• Capture the voice and attitude of the main character

• Be as entertaining and energetic as possible

• Bring in layers with the character (use flashbacks)

• The climax of the story is when someone won and someone lost

Voice- Krista Marino, Executive Editor

Elements that contribute to voice:

1. Diction- speaker’s vocabulary, choices and expression

Doesn’t mean using teen speak or slang or brand names- words you choose and level of formality- ways things are described
Limited experience of the world and that impacts the way they use words and communicate
Teens don’t make the decision they make because they are dumb. It’s because they don’t have enough experiences or life lived

2. Characterization- age, social status, cultural background- all things that make up a character. Know this!

3. Dialogue- Verbal exchange between 2 or more characters; interior or inner dialogue

YA is the teen experience
Internal monologue- shows what they are thinking and often the complete opposite of what they are thinking

SCBWI Miami Here I Come!

2011-01-12T22:18:00.000-05:00

Yep. That's right! I'm off to Miami tomorrow after school for a weekend of writing bliss. I'm attending the SCBWI Miami conference. So excited! I even got my "ballgown" (Target special, but don't tell) for the Dragon Slayer's Ball. Everyone is dressing up as fairy tale characters. I've decided to be Isobel from Mistwood (love that book). I'm such a book geek.

On Friday I'm taking the Novel Writing Intensive with author Joyce Sweeney, agent Erin Murphy, and editor Krista Marino.

Jealous yet?

Then on Saturday, I have a manuscript critique from Cinda Williams Chima. Squee!

I promise to blog about it all when I get back. Let me know if there's anything you're especially interested in hearing about.

Gotta go and finish up packing.

Slow It Down!

2011-01-05T13:50:00.001-05:00

So I have a confession to make. I like to write FAST. Yep, I'm a fast drafter. Sit down and type everything in one swift motion. I suppose it goes back to the fact that if I had to choose between walking everywhere or running I would definitely choose running.

I absolutely love to run. I can get where I want to go in half the time. Think of all the things you could get accomplished if you ran everywhere!

But many of you would say, walking allows you to see the details in life. The little things that make the world special.

You're right of course, even if it's hard to let go of that feeling of the wind in my face and the runner's rush. Besides, my boss wouldn't look too fondly on me running through the halls with my students in tow. (Confession: my students do scamper behind my clipped pace through the hallways)

I'm happy to sit at the computer and not worry over the five million mistakes I'm making, those huge plot holes, or all of my character's inconsistencies. You could say I'm the perfect fast drafter.

And I bet you can guess that I'm not the perfect reviser. I'm trying though and thanks to my critique partners who keep saying, "Dig deeper!" "You have grammar and spelling errors!" and "Plot hole!", I'm realizing how to become a better reviser. They even offered to read the whole book again after I revised it. Now that's pure dedication. (I heart my crit buds.)

So I'm slowing things down. I don't have to finish the novel in exactly 42 days. And it's okay if I have to rewrite a scene (36 times). I've also found that when I take things slower I'm noticing those missing words or odd phrasing. My latest novel is reaching a whole new level because of those details.

If you're like me, make yourself some agreements:

Promise to not go fast drafting a new project until you know your current book is as good as you can possibly get it to be
Give your book long breaks and then pick it up and revise it some more
Listen to your brilliant critique partners (if you don't have any, get some!)
Learn to see your story through the eyes of others

And you can only do all of that if you slow it down.

Another Year

2011-01-01T22:32:00.000-05:00

It's a little shocking when I look and see when I last posted. Eek! But this past month has been such a good one and I've had so many wonderful moments this holiday with my family. It's been a very long time (10 years!) that we've been in the States near family for the whole holiday season. So I really took advantage spending those precious moments with them.

But whenever I'm away from blogging, I realize how out of touch I feel with the writing world! Blogging keeps me connected and I suppose that is one of my main reasons for keeping up with this blog. Sure I've got lots to say (hey, I'm a writer!) but I really enjoy visiting your blogs too!

As far as writing, I've been working hard and I'm totally pumped over my latest round of revisions. My WIP is looking all shiny and pretty. I suppose you can also blame my WIP for keeping me from Blogger Land.

And as far as my goals for this year:
1. Attend two writing conferences (I go to the SCBWI Miami conference in 2 weeks!) and work on my craft
2. Submit my latest WIP
3. Write a new book (I'm dying to start but I told myself NO until this WIP is as perfect as I can make it)
4. Find ways to juggle full time work, full time mom and writing
5. Read!

What about you? What are your goals for this year?

Photo by Melinda Nagy

Kidlit Critterpalooza!

2010-11-17T11:00:00.002-05:00

For over a year now, CRITTER, the creation of artist Ian Sands, has been travelling the world, meeting many talented writers and authors and exploring where they live. At each stop he learns more and more about KIDLIT and the importance of literacy and creativity. This journey was the brainchild of Christy Evers, who got her hands on Critter after an interactive art project of Ian’s, where 500 Critters were hidden all over her city for people to find.

Critter has visited PJ Hoover (and the Texas Sweethearts!) in Texas, Beth Revis in North Carolina, Christina Farley in Korea, New England with Nandini Bajpai, Illinois with Kelly Polark, MG Higgins in California, Rena Jones in Montana, Cynthia Leitich Smith in Texas, Bish Denham in the Virgin Islands, Jacqui Robbins in Michigan, Tina Ferraro in California, Cynthia Chapman Willis in New Jersey, Jill S. Alexander in Texas, Ellen Oh in Virginia and finally, Alberta Canada with Angela Ackerman.

Critter has been to college, rock concerts, national landmarks, a palace, attended his first SCBWI conference, walked among giant redwoods, and met the world famous artist, Robert Bateman. Now that his journey is coming to a close, it’s CRITTER’S hope that you will help him celebrate over at The Bookshelf Muse. His new hosts, together with old hosts, have teamed up to create the Kidlit-inspired event, Critterpalooza! and you’re invited!

There are many AMAZING prizes to be won, all in the spirit of helping Critter celebrate the wonderful creativity & support within out KIDLIT community, and to also raise awareness for his charity, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

If you would like to donate a few dollars to Critter’s charity, just click on the I Love St. Jude button. Children’s lives are saved every day thanks to the support of people like you!

Check out Critter's Adventures here:Ian: http://iansands.blogspot.com/

Christy: http://christyscreativespace.blogspot.com/search/label/follow%20Critter%20through%20Blogland

PJ: http://pjhoover.blogspot.com/2009/09/winner-and-critter.html

Texas Sweethearts: http://texassweethearts.blogspot.com/2010/06/featured-sweetheart-critter.html

Beth: http://bethrevis.blogspot.com/2009/10/critter-at-castle.html

Christina: http://christinafarley.blogspot.com/2009/12/critter-explores-palace.html

Nandini: http://nandinibajpai.blogspot.com/2010/01/ala-midwinter.html

Kelly: http://kpolark.blogspot.com/2010/02/rockin-with-critter-and-grammy-awards.html

MG: http://mghiggins.blogspot.com/search/label/Critter

Rena: http://renajjones.blogspot.com/2010/04/more-critter-pics.html

Cynthia LS: http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2010/05/cynsational-news-giveaways_28.html

Bish: http://bish-randomthoughts.blogspot.com/search/label/Critter

Cythia CW: http://cynthiawillis.blogspot.com/2010/08/meet-critter.html

Jill: http://jillalex.livejournal.com/18125.html

Jacqui: http://jacquirobbins.blogspot.com/2010/08/taming-of-critter.html

Tina: http://yafresh.blogspot.com/2010/08/critter-goes-to-collegegiveaways.html

Ellen: http://elloecho.blogspot.com/2010/10/visit-with-critter.html

Angela: http://thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.com/search/label/critter

The Bookshelf Muse: http://thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.com/

Are You a Fan of Critter?

2010-11-05T15:59:00.001-04:00

Yes! You too can join the throngs of screaming, crazed, needing-autographs fans of Critter. Click here to be a Critter's Fan.

This cute fellow created by Ian Sands has been all over the world and will be auctioned off soon to help kids.

The Adventure Continues...

2010-11-04T19:27:00.000-04:00

Yesterday on Beth Revis’ Across the World Tour, my waterfall adventure was featured here. I’m so excited to have been a ‘stop’ on her blog’s two week tour. If you haven’t checked it out, you still have time to hunt for the clues and enter her amazing contest.

But like I said yesterday in my comment section, my adventure didn’t stop after escaping the guys from the waterfall. As you can imagine after hiking all day, we were exhausted on our trek back home.

My feet were blistered. I was desperate for a shower. And starved for food.
When you’re in that kind of shape, you’ll do pretty much anything. Like jump in front of a moving jeep to hitch a ride down the mountain. The driver kindly drove us to the banana plantation where he was headed. It wasn’t the whole way, but close enough.

It was a bumpy trip and it got even bumpier when the earthquake hit.

No joke!

Okay, so it wasn’t a major earthquake, just enough to shake you around. When I got home, believe me, I was relieved! A couple of things had been knocked over and a wall had a large splintered crack down the middle, but overall, everything was safe.

The earthquake had broken some of the water pipes in Bukit Sentul so we had muddy water (yeah, didn’t get my nice hot shower) for the next day. And the electricity was out, too.

But you know, even though I didn’t get my hot shower and had to use bottled water to get cleaned up. And even though there was no electricity, it was okay.

We all were safe. And that whole experience made me even more grateful for clean water and lights.

That night we ended up heading to the outdoor café for food. Man, I was so sore and that nasi goreng tasted so delicious! The sun was fading, but the restaurant, used to the loss of electricity, had plenty of candles. From our table, I watched the city of Jakarta light up in the valley below. The mountain we had hiked up to was behind me, silhouetted in the sun’s final rays.

And that’s when I realized how blessed I was to be safe, surrounded by my friends, and to have everything that I needed.

Across the World Book Tour for Across the Universe

2010-11-03T16:00:00.000-04:00

Across the Universe is a sci fi coming out from Penguin/Razorbill on January 11, 2011. Author Beth Revis describes it as "a murder mystery set in space," but it also has romance, adventure, and dystopian elements. In the book, a girl boards an interstellar spaceship in a journey across the universe to find a new planet.

To celebrate the book's upcoming release, Beth's gathered together writers and readers from across the blogosphere to share their stories of adventures they've had across the world. Check out her site the first two weeks of November to read about adventures from the Wild West to Indonesia (this is where my adventure takes place!), from Europe to Africa.

And as you're going across the world with all these adventures, be sure to pick up the clues. On Beth's webpage is a secret link--LOOK for it, and you'll SEE it. But it's password protected! To find the password, you'll need to go on the adventures with us, pick up the letters, and re-arrange them into the secret phrase.

What do you get for playing? On the password protected page there's tons of secret information about the book--hidden Easter Eggs, the surprising origins of one of the characters, and the unexpected inspiration behind the space ship. But, more than that--there's also a chance for prizes! Only accessible from the password protected page is a form to enter a drawing--the winner will get a signed and doodled ARC of Across the Universe, pin-buttons featuring the book, star-related swag--and a secret something else!

All you have to do is follow us across the blogosphere, pick up the letters, and unscramble the password! Your clue for today is...

You Must Check This Out!

2010-11-01T05:41:00.001-04:00

Beth Revis' Across the Universe Book Tour starts today! Head over to her blog for this awesome adventure. The directions on how it works are here and this is where the adventure begins.

And So It Begins

2010-11-01T05:35:00.001-04:00

November 1st is a big day for those who have signed up for NaNo Writers Month. What is NaNo? It’s where many writers sign up on the NaNo website committing to write at least 50,000 words of a book in a fast draft form. Impressive isn’t it?

For the last two years I’ve unofficially joined in and I’ve dished out a stack of words in doing so. Even with November being one of my busiest months, I’ve always been able to write more just feeding off of the excitement and motivation of other writers out there pounding away at their keyboards.

And I was planning on doing it all over again by starting my next book set in Indonesia.

But I’m not going to. Instead I’m tackling a major revision of my latest book set in Korea. I knew my book’s opening chapters could be stronger so I emailed my critique buddy the whole book and said, “HELP! What is wrong with this baby of mine?”

That’s the amazing thing about great critique partners. They see the problems you just can’t see when you’re too close to a project. And they tell you what’s wrong instead of sending you a happy gram back with smiles and “I love it!” (Well, they might say “I love it!” but with lots of other insights too!)

When I got her email with her comments, I got so excited. She was right! She had some great ideas on how to fix my problems, too. So I’ve been brainstorming, making lists on the problems and how I’m going to solve those. It’s a great feeling.

So this month, I’m hacking out a pretty intensive revision. It won’t be a major rewrite but many of the chapters will be getting whole new looks and the first few chapters will be seeing lots of cuts and rewrites. Exciting isn’t it?

My goal? Get this baby finished by December 1st!

Bring on the chocolate!

Disney's Food and Wine Festival

2010-10-21T22:15:00.027-04:00

Can I just say delish? Fabulous? Divine?

Last weekend hubby and I went on a date (!!!!!!!) to Epcot's Food and Wine Festival. And let me tell you was so fun. We took about 3 hours to walk around the lake, stopping at different countries along the way.

Our first stop was Argentina where we ate Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Puree. I think that was my favorite.

Then we headed to Mexico for a Tamal de Pollo. Yum...

South Korea was there for the first time! They had kimchi slaw!

Oh and then there was Italy. I just love Italian food and I wasn't disappointed. We ordered baked cheese ravioli and Cannolo Al Cioccolato and ate it on the steps overlooking the lagoon while listening to Sister Hazel. How cool is that?

At Australia, we ate the Grilled Lamp Chop with Roasted Potato Salad and Red Wine Reduction. I have to say that the lamb wasn't as good as when we ate in Australia, but I would still recommend it.

Then to complete the night we had the dessert trio of Strawberry Angel Verrine, Pear Streusel Pudding Cake, Dark Chocolate Sensation, and Rose Imperial.

The festival runs until Nov. 14th so there's still time to head over for some good food!

Disney Tip #1

2010-10-13T06:06:00.001-04:00

Since I live right around the corner from the happiest place on earth, I thought I'd add in some Disney tips on my blog. I've been to Disney, oh about 20 million times (okay, so I work there too seasonally).

Yeah, I'm addicted. I'm a fan. I'm a Disney girl.

One turnoff for many people is the crowds. If that's the case for you, then this time of the year is the time to go. September through early November and then again in January until spring break time, the crowds are substantially less. And not only will you find the crowds have thinned, thus making the lines shorter, but the weather is perfect in the fall. Not too hot, not too cold. No humidity.

Now if you must go in the summer or you love Disney at Christmas (who wouldn't?), but those crowds still get to you, then hit the coffee pot and get there early.

We usually get there as soon as the park opens (BTW, it's cooler in the mornings!) to do all the rides we can, watch a show and then catch lunch before we head back home. I'm always amazed at the streams of people who enter the park between 10:30 and noon. I suppose I shouldn't blame them. They're on vacation, have slept in, eaten a yummy Disney breakfast and meandered to the park.

So think Disney in the autumn and you if can't swing that, get to the parks early to hit all the rides you've been dying to ride.

The End

2010-10-02T15:07:00.000-04:00

I finally finished Mockingjay. Took me long enough and it was no fault of how good the book was. Purely me being busy. But it got me thinking about endings.

One of the things that pushed me to keep reading Mockingjay was I needed to know the answers.

Does Katniss survive? Who does she end with- Peeta or Gale?

For me:

A good book propels the reader to the end
An end must be satisfying
An end should answer most of the reader's questions
An end could reveal a surprise twist
An end should complete the a character's emotional journey

How about you? What do you need in a good ending? And while we are chatting about endings, check out J.A. Palermo's blog post over at the Paper Wait on leading readers to turn the page.

Guest Blog Post

2010-09-28T05:49:00.000-04:00

Kirsten is doing an awesome blog series called "Around the World". For yesterday's post she asked me to share about my experiences overseas and how they affect my writing. Head over to her awesome blog, Romantic Meets the World, and check it out!

The picture above is me on the tiny island of Samosir that's located in Sumatra the middle of Lake Toba, one of the biggest lakes in the world.

Satellite Beach

2010-09-19T21:14:00.000-04:00

The other weekend we decided to get out and head over to Satellite Beach. It's close to Cocoa Beach, but quieter and not so touristy. We joined up with some friends and stayed at a condo that overlooked the ocean. Talk about the perfect writing place!

The waves were pretty big and on the first day the ripe tide was strong because of a tropical storm out off the coast. But the second day we were there, the ocean was calm enough for the boys to get out and learn how to boogie board.

They loved it! Plus we found buckets of shells that were being dragged into the tide. (See the picture of Luke and his girl friend digging for shells. Aren't they adorable?)

From Orlando its one of the closest beaches if you are looking for something quieter and cleaner. From downtown Orlando, give yourself about an hour and fifteen minutes to get there.

Personally I like the Gulf Coast better, but the waves can't be beat on the Atlantic.

And if you're there, check out Da Kine's Insane Burrito. Yum yum. They have HUGE burritos that are sure to fill you up after playing in the surf all day.

I'm hoping to have posts of great vacation and getaway spots in Florida on my blog. So if you're heading to Florida, hopefully you'll find some good ideas here of where to go!

WOW! I'm Blogging!

2010-09-12T20:16:00.000-04:00

Okay so I'm about to have a heart attack because I've opened blogger and I'm here typing away. Man, it feels good. It's been soooooooo long since I've blogged. I feel as if I've been lost in some big dark hole and just now resurfacing and I'm here to say:

"Hello bloggers! Remember me?"

I'm dying to get back into things and go and visit all of your lovely blogs. I'm so out of the loop. What's been going on? It's amazing how out of it I feel after being away for the last month.

Yes, I've been busy and I really needed the time to get my life in order. I'm not saying things are perfect (HA!) but I'm ready to embark back into the world of blogging again.

I will say that living back in the States is so different and I'm feeling incredibly spoiled. Everytime I turn on my washing machine or dishwasher I feel like doing a little jig. (Okay, so I really do a jig, but only when no one is looking.)

I think I've eaten too many Twizzlers though. (I know, I didn't think that was possible, but evidently my consumption has been a LITTLE overboard).

So sending you all a wave across the Internet!

Congrats Debbie Ohi!

2010-08-02T19:23:00.000-04:00

Yesterday the MIGs and I got an exciting email from Debbie Ridpath Ohi (fellow critique partner in crime). She's over at the SCBWI LA conference (yeah, I'm sooooo jealous!) and sending us the latest gossip via her iPad.

But the big news is she won one of the two Runner Up / Honor Award winners for the SCBWI's Illustrator Showcase!!! And get this, she also won the Mentorship Award Program. To win two awards is rare she's been told.

Read more about it here.

I'm so proud of you Debbie! You totally deserve this!

Writing Space

2010-07-29T14:29:00.000-04:00

So my biggest issue I'm dealing with right now is finding time to write. I don't have a writing area set up yet, but I do have a room all to myself for my writing. I'm so excited about it! I need to think of a name for the room besides office. Office sounds so bla. Something like Wardrobe or Writers Cove. Still working on ideas!

I also need to set up a time to write and once I start teaching (YES! I got a teaching job- yippee! I'll be teaching 2nd grade), then I'll have to figure out if early mornings or late nights will work best for my new schedule. I find having a consistent schedule and a home base to write in really helps me keep focused. Often I write in other places, but a home base is a must.

I love Laura Manivong's writing space. She's got color and fun all put together.

Things I NEED in my writing space:

1. Desk and comfy chair.
2. Lots of table space for all my crazy webs and charts and cool words that I like.
3. Twizzlers (yes, this is a must)

4. A window -wish it was a view of this:

5. Figurine of Jane Austen because she's my heroine.

6. Email so I can frantically chat with my critique buds when I'm stuck.
7. Headphones (but only when I'm fast drafting, can't do it during edits)
8. Water and coffee

How about you? Where do you write? What are musts that you must have when you write? Do you have a special name for your writing place?

Hello Florida!

2010-07-12T14:21:00.001-04:00

Hello my blogging buddies! It feels like forever since I've blogged. Between the move and Internet problems I've had trouble finding time to blog.

I'm now living in sunny Florida and I love it here! Who can't love swaying palm trees, bright sunny days and swimming pools? And it's hot. I LOVE hot.

Our family went out for a hike at the park near our new house. We saw turtles, deer, birds, GIANT spiders (eek!), and a tortoise that could outrun me. So much fun. Except we didn't see any gators.

The boys call it Old Florida because we mentioned it to them that this is what Florida used to look like before all the people and houses.

There is something magical about strolling down sandy paths with Spanish moss dangling from above and the sea breeze kicking up around you. If you haven't hiked in 'Old Florida' yet, you really need to do it. But keep an eye out for those spiders and thunderstorms. You don't want to mess with those!

MiG Writers' Contest- Don't Miss Out!

2010-07-06T18:49:00.000-04:00

My critique buddies (The MiGs) are having a rocking awesome contest over at our new and improved blog. Come on over and post a one sentence summary of your WIP.

What do you win? A critique of the first ten pages of your novel. By all six of us! Yeah, pretty cool, huh. These guys are smart and brilliant and helpful so if you're looking for extra feedback, this is a perfect opportunity.

The contest runs until this Saturday (July 10th) so hurry and post.

And win!

(The cartoon was done by the talented Debbie Ridpath Ohi- she's the cute one in the bottom middle)

Goodbye Korea- With Love

2010-06-20T01:53:00.003-04:00

Dearest Korea,

I'm flying out today. And leaving you. I'm not sure if I'll be back, but I have a feeling I just might. You have given me so much these last 8 years living in your lands. And I'm grateful--no, more than that. I'm changed and I know I'll never be the same.

I've been thinking a lot about these 8 years.

The Snapshots

Chusok Moon
Jagged Peaks
Mud flats
Tiled roofs
Rice paper lanterns
Colorful palaces
Rice patties

The Moments

Hearing my child's first cries
Writing my first book
Standing on the DMZ line
My first belt test
My students' smiles

The Memories

Teaching at an amazing international school
Letting my boys grow up in an international setting
Watching World Cup Game in the throngs of thousands in downtown Seoul
Holidays with friends
Hiking to the top of Soeraksan
Building friends for life
Winning my first writing award
Hanging out in the backyard of F

Growing as a teacher in ways I never thought I would

Through all these experiences, you have shown me the heart of your people. I hope I can take away from all of this the same zest for life, the work ethnic, and the willingness to help others that I've learned here.

Annyonghi kaysayo.

With love,
Chin-ah (Christina)

What a Rush!

2010-06-16T20:28:00.000-04:00

I've been doing some research over the past few months on the Korean Horn Bow for my latest WIP.

But I really wanted to get a clearer sense of how the bow worked and felt. So I dragged my family to downtown Seoul, Gwanghwamun to the Pavilion of Yellow Storks (Hwanghakjeong).

It's the most famous archery pavilion in Seoul and in this part of Korea.

There they gave us a lesson about the Korean horn bow.

Most bows can shoot an arrow between 50-100 meters, but the Korean Horn Bow can shoot as far as 145 meters.

The reason for this is its made up of 8 different materials all glued together by the croaker fish glue. No chemicals are put inside of this bow either. The outside of the bow is made up of a water buffalo horn, which creates the power within the bow.

It takes a master craftsman 1 year to make 50-100 bows, depending on their speed. This is a picture of an archer stringing his bow, which is very difficult. After the wood has been stretched, it must be put under heat.

The archer keeps his horn bow in a silk pouch called the kundae. After the archer takes the bow out, she ties the kundae around her waist where it holds five arrows.

We also got to see a demonstration of a group of people shooting their bows so far away that I could hardly see the target! And they were hitting the targets. Amazing.

I also got to try out the bow. The Master also gave my hubby and I a lesson.

You begin with, "Please forgive my archery". Then the Master says, "I wish you success".

To shoot this bow, you:
1. Use a thumb ring to draw back the string.
2. Raise the bow obligatory to the target
3. Focus your heart (this is a critical part of the culture)
4. Chest is wide open
5. Hands in line
6. Draw back the string past the shoulder
7. Aim slightly upwards
8. Allow the heart to guide the arm
9. And let go!

Wow. What a rush!